Nonfiction – Army Ants

I have always been fascinated with insects, and ants in particular. Army Ants are particularly interesting, because, unlike most other ant species, they do not have a permanent home. Instead, they travel from place to place, foraging as they go.

This book is part of a series on scavengers. Army ants often scavenge food, but they are also hunters as well, a point that the introduction fully acknowledges. Exactly why they are identified as scavengers for the purposes of the series is not entirely clear. The rest of the information in the book appears to be accurate. The ways in which the ants come into contact with humans is not covered, making the book more scientific than sensational.

The photographs in this work are fantastic. Most of the time an entire page is use to display a photo, with the accompanying text on the facing page. The pictures show both wide-angle and closeup photos of the ants, and reward close viewing for many details.

In addition to the typical index and glossary, the end pages include suggestions for more information. These suggestions cover several different media. There is also a “Looking Back” section that encourages the reader to go back to re-examine certain photographs and think about open-ended questions.